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Ginger Health Benefits | Is This Stuff A Secret Cure All?

Let’s face it, sometimes green drinks can be boring. While it is wonderful to drink a green powder drink that’s a party on the palate, it just isn’t always the case. And that’s fine because our main goal is to improve and maintain our health. We realize that green drinks aren’t the same experience as a Wendy’s Frosty. Yes, I went there, I feel bad, but I used to love those things. That was when I was overweight though, go figure.

But as we’ve learned from most of the powders on my top superfood green drink reviews list, green drinks can be given a little extra pep, even beyond what the manufacturer adds. And you can make additions without compromising health. Clearly, I am not suggesting you dump a vat of sugar into the drink.

But what I am suggesting you do is add ginger. Wait, what? Yes, ginger. And no, this isn’t the same ginger from Gilligan’s Island, rather, the super healthy root plant that can add a killer little spice to your drink. Ginger health benefits are lengthy and well-documented, so adding it to your green drink will not only give your drink an extra kick, but it will also give your health an extra kick.

How Does Ginger Taste In My Green Drink?

I get this question every time I discuss ginger health benefits. Many health drink makers, including Whole Foods, will add shots of ginger to your smoothies. Clearly, people are catching on, but many don’t know what to expect from the addition of it. Well, you can expect spice, but not necessarily a similar spice to a pepper. The spice is more of a “slow spice” that immediately warms the body. If you put too much in your green drink, you won’t be able to drink it. I recommend a TBSP amount in one full cup. That’ll definitely add some kick, but it should be very drinkable.

When the ginger goes down, you will feel warm and fuzzy. That’s what is so great about it. The extra kick adds a new layer to your taste profile. I feel like ginger wakes me up. Again, this isn’t like a hot pepper, it doesn’t burn your tongue. But it will kick your sinuses into a new gear and clear you out if you are congested. Ginger is closer in effect to horseradish.

How To Buy Ginger

Go to the store. Go to the produce section. Pick up ginger. Buy it. Seriously, it is often found in the product section. It looks like little roots (that’s because it is). You will need to shave off that top layer and get to the smooth layer that exists under the peel. Clean it. At this point, the only true way to add it to a smoothie is to juice the root yourself. This is kind of a pain which is why many people just buy those little ginger shots at health food stores. Convenience certainly matters if we want to be consistent. Health improvements start with better habits.

Ginger Health Benefits

The benefits of daily ginger could never be summed up in one article, there are simply too many. Below are a few of the most notable benefits you can expect from ingesting ginger.

Ginger Can Help Prevent Heart Disease

Strokes and heart attacks loom large in western society. Clearly, processed foods have contributed to an overall deterioration in modern health. Most of us haven’t been perfect, at least not if we’ve been living under stressful working and family environments. In other words, we should all be looking at ways to defend against heart disease. Adding ginger to your diet is a wonderful way to do exactly that. Ginger has a proven anti-blood-clotting ability. You can read more about this in the “amazing and mighty ginger” study published by Anne M. Bode and Zigang Dong. And seeing we can add ginger into our green drinks, it really isn’t that difficult to accomplish.

Ginger Can Settle Your Stomach

I’m sure you’ve heard of people drinking ginger ale as a cure for an upset stomach, right? Of course, you have. Our grandmothers often would give us kids a little ginger ale when we’d get car sick. Amazing how simple things were back then. The thing is, grandma was exactly right about ginger, it definitely can help settle a stomach. In fact, it is so powerful, that one study showed that it can help relieve nausea in people after chemotherapy sessions. That’s powerful.

So maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to add just a little ginger to the kid’s smoothie before that long road trip to grandma and grandpa’s. It couldn’t hurt!

Ginger And Stomach Ulcers

Think an upset stomach is bad? Try having an ulcer. Not only does ginger help to cure an upset stomach, but it is also rather competent in easing ulcer symptoms and potentially curing them. This is bold territory, my friends. In fact, an Indian study published in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research claimed that ginger was a more powerful foe to the ulcer than Prevacid (and by a good amount).

Ulcers are truly a modern day plague. As anyone who suffers from an ulcer will likely say, anything is worth a try to help find some relief.

Ginger As A Pain Reliever

Got pain? Ginger might be your solution, at least for some pain. Ginger has the ability to affect the vanilloid receptors or, the ending of sensory nerves (where the pain would be experienced). Ginger can pinpoint these receptors and ease pain. It seems crazy, but it isn’t because science supports it. In fact, the Arthritis Foundation supports the use of ginger for people afflicted with arthritis. You can’t get a more powerful stamp of approval than that.

I’m not suggesting to only eat ginger if you break your leg in half, but you could try it for other, less dramatic issues. If people with arthritis are being encouraged to take in ginger, it can’t hurt you to try (pun very much intended).

What Happens To Your Body When You Start Eating Ginger Every Day?

So have you tried ginger yet? Have you added it to your green drink powder smoothie or do you have another recipe you’d like to share? Leave us a comment! We love hearing from our readers and growing our health knowledge library!